as in to fumble
to make or do (something) in a clumsy or unskillful way
I swear, she mucks up everything she tries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muck up
Kansas City’s defense was waiting and stuffed him short of a first down — or at least mucked up the play enough that a replay review couldn’t determine whether Allen had reached the line to gain.
—
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Democrats will continue to try and muck up Trump legally and stop him from getting on the ballot.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
Duke Be less chaotic The Blue Devils are masters at mucking up a game, whether that’s by pressing, forcing turnovers or drawing (and committing) fouls.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Sadly, a corpse discovered in the waters just beyond the house mucks up the divine press coverage Greer had been arranging with—huh!—People magazine.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Democrats will continue to try and muck up Trump legally and stop him from getting on the ballot.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2024
Duke Be less chaotic The Blue Devils are masters at mucking up a game, whether that’s by pressing, forcing turnovers or drawing (and committing) fouls.
—Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Sadly, a corpse discovered in the waters just beyond the house mucks up the divine press coverage Greer had been arranging with—huh!—People magazine.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for muck up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck up
Verb
-
During the Mets’ loss to the Marlins, Vientos was jogging to first base when Miami’s Graham Pauley fumbled the ball.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The characters in Megan Howell’s short stories, which glide into scenes of magical realism, are lonely people facing the harsh realities of an often violent world and fumbling toward something more hopeful.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
What used to build brands now risks blowing them up.—
Remy Blumenfeld,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Reliever Jorge Alcala blew a 99 mph fastball past Altuve in the seventh as the Astros star reached four strikeouts for the first time in a game since 2021.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, this was the message sent: Booth screwed up by signing Dario Saric and gave up too many picks to shed Reggie Jackson’s contract.—
Troy Renck,
The Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2025
-
The Gordons have been left deeply screwed up by their deceased father — not just callous and clueless like all the ultra-rich, but unable to maintain healthy relationships with either partners or one another.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But Paige has been there, injuries fouling up her career, too.—
John Nogowski,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
-
This brings back the Bilas comment from long ago on fouling up two.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Curtis left her job as a deputy in August 2023 and sued the county soon after, claiming in court documents that Anderson’s harassment ruined her reputation and career with the county.—
Mary Divine,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The problem lies once kids become tech savvy and a simple Google search can ruin the fun.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Ophiuchus got booted out despite the sun spending a long time within it from Nov. 29–Dec. 17 (commonly thought of as Sagittarius despite the sun being in that constellation from Dec. 17–Jan. 20.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The Cubs added a run in the inning when third baseman Manny Machado booted Swanson’s grounder.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muck up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck%20up. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share